A Week of Service

Day 1: In the morning, campers were split to head to their first mission site including stream cleanup and invasive plant removal. It was a slow start, but campers worked with fresh energy. By afternoon, as they picked up trash on the side of the road, the heat index increased, but motivation decreased drastically.

Day 2: After several motivational talks, the whole group was ready to pick up trash and sanitize playground equipment at Cosmo Park. Whether it was the shaded pavilion or a group wide epiphany, campers did an incredible job without a single complaint. After lunch students packed over 10,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger.

Day 3: Nearing the end of the week typically means campers lose focus and dedication, but this group continued to improve by working harder and complaining less as one group did yard work for an elderly woman and the other packed prison and disaster care packages. For the last big group project, everyone helped sort bulk food at the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri.

Day 4: Everything the students learned this past week led up to this final day of service. It was their opportunity to take everything they saw and learned and come up with their own mission project. Intrepid Wildfire Camp served every corner of the Columbia area from walking dogs at the humane society to finishing the earlier yard work project to giving care packages to the homeless to setting up for VBS at a church.

God was clearly at work in these students this week at Intrepid Wildfire Camp. Instead of losing faith after a hard first day, they embraced the week’s verse and their hearts were softened to the needs of those they were helping and they decided to truly make a difference. They understood that although they couldn’t change the world by ending hunger or homelessness, they could do their part and bring the Kingdom of God into the community.

“Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.” Romans 12: 11-13